Is Jesus Sarcastic?

Was Jesus ever sarcastic? Did Jesus ever use satire? The most obvious use of sarcasm and satire is in Jesus' treatment of the Pharisees and the religious leaders of the day. Jesus likened them to dirty dishes, unmarked graves, blind guides, a beautiful whitewashed tomb that contains a carcass, and a brood of vipers. Jesus says that Pharisees strain out a gnat (so that they don't accidentally eat an unclean thing) but they swallow a camel; they decorate the tombs of the prophets that they killed; they convert someone only to make them twice the child of hell; they show off their huge prayer phylacteries, long robes and tassels; they take impressive places of honor while devouring the widow's home; they love the praise of men more than the praise of God. Jesus even told them that prostitutes are entering the kingdom of heaven before them.

Some of Jesus' parable contain satirical jabs at the Pharisees and other religious leaders. In the parable of the Good Samaritan a heretical half-breed is pictured as more righteous than a priest and temple worker. In the parable of the Pharisee and the tax-collector the tax-collector goes home justified because he has a repentant heart. In the parable of the Prodigal Son the older son, who clearly represents the Pharisees, is left outside of his farther's home fuming with self-righteous jealousy.

I also sense a bit of sarcasm when Jesus compliments the Pharisees. If you say to someone, "Must be nice to be perfect!" They will probably be offended. It seems that Jesus did something similar after the Pharisees chided him for eating with the "sinners" and tax collectors. Jesus replied, "It's not the healthy that need a doctor, but the sick." In another place Jesus says that a person's righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees. This is a classic back-handed compliment that would've irritated the Pharisees. I would love to have seen their faces.

Most of Jesus's satirical criticisms are reserved for the self-righteous and the unrepentant. On one occasion he made an offensive remark to test the faith of a Canaanite woman. After she asked for his help he compared her to a dog. She took the insult and persisted. Jesus commended her for her great faith.

Jesus may be using a hint of sarcasm when he refers to himself by his favorite title. The Son of Man is a title that is first seen in the book of Daniel. The Son of Man clearly refers to the glorified Messiah. While the Pharisees would stone Jesus if he publicly said that he was the Son of God he could get away with saying that he was the Son of Man. This must have irritated the Pharisees as they understood the Messianic implications of the phrase. Jesus also played on words with his various I AM statements. He was especially bold when he declared, "Before Abraham was born, I AM." Here, Jesus was clearly identifying himself as God who had revealed himself to Moses as the I AM.

What lessons are we to take from this?

1. Jesus is not a wimp

As children we learn of a very gentle Jesus. We picture him embracing children and cradling a little lamb in his arms. Jesus was certainly loving and gentle with his flock. As children grow older it's also important that they see Jesus as a warrior and as a lion who will defend his flock. That love prompts him to lash out, and to expose the wolves who wear sheep's clothing.

2 Audience matters

Jesus knew who needed to be knocked down with the law and he knew who needed to be uplifted by the gospel. Jesus could see self-righteous hearts and repentant hearts. Jesus knew how to afflict the comfortable and how to comfort the afflicted.

3. Jesus's sarcastic remarks and satire came from a place of love

After Jesus condemns the pharisees he weeps for them. He says that he longed to gather them as a hen gathers her chicks. Jesus tears them to pieces so that they might see the error of their ways and repent. This is love's last resort.

4. Jesus is shrewd and intelligent

Jesus' knowledge of the scriptures and his audience was immense, deep and obviously divine. His retorts, parables, and questions silenced his critics. He was able to say things that were forbidden to say without really saying them.

5. Jesus was not afraid of causing offense

Jesus sought humility and repentance. Throughout the Scriptures the prophets preached repentance and the need for a new heart. This is offensive. Today's Christianity is scared to offend. If Christians are afraid to offend then they will be afraid to share the Word of God.

6. Satire is useful for exposing hypocrisy

Jesus makes the Pharisees look ridiculous by simply placing a mirror before them. The hypocrite brings the satire upon themselves. Satire is an effective way to expose hypocrisy.

Intricacies of Psalm 23

Yahweh

-Yahweh (LORD) is the first word of the psalm

-Yahweh (LORD) is mentioned twice in the psalm, once at the beginning and once at the end.

- The center of the psalm is the phrase "for you are with me." There are 26 words before the phrase and 26 words after the phrase. 26 is the numerical value of the Hebrew word for Yahweh. The four consonants are also the numbers 10, 5, 6 and 5. 

Chiasm

A. Going home with the Lord. No lack

      B. Leads me

           C. Still Waters, Green Pastures

                D. Restores my Soul

                     E. Shadow of Death

                          F. No Fear

                              G. You are with me, Your Rod, Your Staff

                          F. Comfort

                     E. Presence of my Enemies

                 D. Prepares a Table 

           C. Oil, Cup

      B. Follow me

A. At home with the Lord. Forever

A Chiasm of 7 Verbs

He Shepherds

     He Makes Me

          He Leads Me

               He Restores

          He Leads

     He Prepares

He Anoints

He and You

Notice how at the climax of the psalm the pronouns for God switch from he to you. Now that the author knows that God is with him the psalm becomes more personal. He's not being directed rather he is being doted upon by God. It's almost as if the valley of the shadow of death caused him to turn toward his shepherd. Notice also the triple "you" in the climactic phrase. God is often described in threes throughout the Scripture. 

Echoes of Exodus

"The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing."

     Exodus 16:18 - Everyone had gathered (manna and quail) just as much as they needed.. 

     "I lack nothing" is the same word as "as much as they needed."

"He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters."

     Exodus 15:13 - In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling. 

     "He leads me..." is the same word as "you will guide."

     Exodus 15:23 - "Bitter Waters" ME MARAH

     Numbers 20:13 - "Troubled Waters ME MERIBAH 

     Psalm 23:2 - "Quiet Waters" ME MENIHOT

"He restores my soul"

     Exodus 14 - The word for "restored" is used to describe how God restored the waters of the Red          Sea.

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil. For you are with me. Your rod and your staff they comfort me. 

    Israel travels through the Red Sea with a wall of water on the right and on the left. Moses stretched     his staff out over the Sea to split it. 

"Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life."

     Exodus 14:19-20 - The Angel of the LORD, and the pillar of cloud moved behind Israel as                  they crossed the sea. 

"And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever

     Exodus 13 - Describes Israel's condition in Egypt as living in the House of Slavery

Psalm 23 in the Broader Context of the Psalms

- Psalms 15-24 are often taken as a group. 

- A chiasm is evident

A. Psalm 15: Who may live on God's holy mountain?

     B. Psalm 16: Trust

          C. Psalm 17: Cry for help

               D. Psalm 18: God Delivers

                    E. Psalm 19 - Creation Praises God

               D. Psalm 20-21: God Delivers

          C. Psalm 22: Cry for help

     B. Psalm 23: Trust

A. Psalm 24: Who may live on God's holy mountain?

Psalm 23 and Psalm 16 are in parallel positions. They also have similarities.

     Psalm 16:1 - Yahweh is my Lord

     Psalm 23:1 - Yahweh is my Shepherd

     

     Psalm 16:5 - "You alone are my portion and cup"

     Psalm 23:5 - "My cup overflows"

     

     Psalm 16:10 - "You will not abandon me to the grave (Sheol)"

     Psalm 23:4 - "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death."

     Psalm 16:11 - "Eternal pleasures at your right hand."

     Psalm 23:6 - "I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever."

     Psalm 16:11 - "Path of life"

     Psalm 23:3 - "Paths of righteousness"

The "Set Apart" God

When I was in Sunday School the thought of ancients worshiping items of wood and stone baffled me. The practice seemed common and the Old Testament Jews couldn't help but be drawn to it. God delivered his chosen tribe from Egypt and the next thing they do is worship a golden bull-calf. How stupid.

Pagan idol worship no longer strikes me as a historical oddity. Today, a college-educated young woman might mix some herbs next to a statue of a Babylonian goddess that she prays to. Later that night she'll meet some acquaintances in the forest around a fire where they will lift their hands toward the moon in prayer and praise.

At the heart of idol worship, nature worship, astrology and a host of other pagan practices is pantheism. Most non-Christian religions share a pantheistic worldview. Pagans, Wiccans, Hindus, New Agers, mystics, and many others view God as immanent. God is one and the same with the universe. God, humans, and creation are all interconnected and therefore it's reasonable to worship the deity through rocks and trees. For the pagan, deity is not transcendent, only immanent. A transcendent deity is distinct from creation, can act upon creation and can hold creatures accountable. Many pagans believe in gods and spirits that might be offended by humans or hold humans accountable, but even these deities are extensions or emanations of a greater, impersonal deity reminiscent of the Force in Star Wars. The great draw to this mindset is that deity lies within. Idols, spirits, gods, spells, worship, prayer and praise are not relational expressions between the creator and the created but are rather tools that are used by the worshiper to manipulate their environment.

The Christian God is both immanent and transcendent. He is immanent in that he is in all things. Paul says in Acts 17 that in God "we live and  move and have our being." The Bible also teaches that God is transcendent. He is exalted, he is above all things, and he is holy. The word "holy" relates to the transcendence of God. The word in the Hebrew is qodesh and means "to be set apart." The "set apartness" of God leaps off the page throughout the Bible. Sin, or a lack of holiness, caused Adam and Eve to be banished from God's presence. On Mount Sinai the Israelite were not allowed to go near the mountain because God was there. The focal point for much of the Old Testament is the tabernacle in the wilderness and the temple in Jerusalem. Multiple boundaries and barriers set God apart from his people in the tabernacle and temple. Priests were set apart. The firstborn were set apart. The seventh day was set apart. Certain foods were set apart. Circumcision demonstrated that the Jews were set apart. The prophets envisioned a time when the Messiah would bring man and God back together. Immanuel means "God with us." A blessing that Christians have through faith because Jesus was abandoned by God the Father. The apostle John begins his gospel by describing Jesus as the Word who was with God, became flesh and made his dwelling (tabernacled) with us. Redemption and atonement through Jesus thus make a loving relationship between the Creator and the created possible. If God is not transcendent then love can only be self-directed since loving the deity is tantamount to loving yourself.

Atheists will often group the Christian God with other pagan deities. The phrase, "I simply believe in one less god than you," is common among atheists. This fallacious thinking is a categorical error. The pagan concept of deity is far different than the Christian concept. The "set apartness" or transcendence of God also has an effect on the way we look at universe. For the pagan all things have a supernatural explanation since God is immanent. For the atheist there are only naturalistic explanations since the supernatural does not exist. For the Christian there are both natural and supernatural explanations. Christianity is often criticized for being anti-science. I would contend that a scientific view of the world is difficult to have without the transcendent notion of God. When God acts upon creation we expect law and order. Scientific progress flows naturally from the assumption that the universe is a system governed by laws and by extension governed by a Lawgiver (aka God) who is "apart." The atheist and pagan must borrow this assumption. Left on their own devices pagan and atheist worldviews must conceive of a universe that is inexplicable, random, chaotic, eternal and lawless.

Worldviews matter.

Repentance and Love

Humans want a God who has limitless love but when God's love expresses itself in "I forgive you," we shriek and run for the shadows. God's love is redemptive not permissive. God's love is that of a disciplinarian, not an enabler.

Jerusalem and Lachish: A tale of two cities

Jerusalem and Lachish were the largest and most important cities of Judah in the 8th century B.C. Jerusalem still exists, Lachish does not. The earthen ramp the Assyrians used to breech the walls of Lachish is still visible. The Assyrians recorded the destruction of Lachish with word and picture. Sennacherib sits on his throne, surrounded by doting eunuchs while captives and loot are paraded before him. Sennacherib's destruction of Jerusalem was especially cruel. Officials were flayed and impaled. Mass graves filled with women and children have been found. Sennacherib's warning to the remnants of Judah in Jerusalem was clear. "Submit or else."



Shortly before the destruction of Lachish, Hezekiah sought to reform the land of Judah and he was somewhat successful in his efforts. Lachish was likely reluctant to accept Hezekiah's reforms. The prophet Micah traces the sins of Jerusalem from the northern tribes to Lachish (Micah 1:13). A fascinating archaeological discovery confirms what the Bible says about Hezekiah's reforms. It seems that Hezekiah destroyed one of Lachish's shrines and desecrated it by turning it into a toilet. The practice is alluded to during the reign of Jehu (2 Kings 10:27).



A study of the times of Hezekiah and the Assyrian crisis reveals a dramatic, complicated history filled with political intrigue. The kings of Israel and Judah shift alliances in response to Assyrian aggression. Hezekiah's father sought to placate the Assyrians which turned into a disaster. Hezekiah rebelled. This results in one of the most tense and dramatic moments in all of Scripture. Jerusalem is the last great city of the region of Palestine. The Assyrians, 180,000 of them, are waiting outside. The Assyrians are known to fillet officials, impale, enslave, castrate, and add the wives of kings to their harems. Hezekiah had two choices: submit and put your hope in Assyria or rebel and put your hope in God.

Isaiah prophesied hope. Hezekiah's father, Ahaz, had rejected Isaiah's message. Isaiah responded to Ahaz with the words, "The virgin will be with child..." Hezekiah sprawls himself out before the temple of God with the letter of the king of Assyria spread out before him. Isaiah approaches. "They will not shoot an arrow in Jerusalem," he says. That night an angel wiped out the Assyrian army. King Sennarcherib retreats.

Sennacherib would soon commission artists to carve scenes of victory into the walls of his throneroom. The gore and brutality of Lachsih's destruction is hard to miss. Strangely absent is Sennacherib's dealings with Jerusalem. In the Assyrian annals Sennacherib brags about how he destroyed the towns of Judah and left Hezekiah sitting in his city like a bird in a cage.

Jerusalem or Lachish? Which city do you belong to? I can't help but think of what they'd look like today. Lachish was cosmopolitan, wealthy and accepting of various religious ideas. Lachish fit in well with the surrounding Philistine communities which embraced various religious beliefs. Jerusalem had undergone a recent reform. Hezekiah must have been viewed as odd, out of touch, and old school. His desecration of the shrine in Lachish was probably seen as intolerant, insensitive and xenophobic. Jerusalem or Lachish, which city do you belong to?

 

Victimizing Is Evil

Tell a child that her teachers hate her for no reason. Tell her that the school is out to get her. That it's unfair. When she doubts give a couple examples of abusive teachers. When she fails, blame it on the school. What will this accomplish? Nothing. She will rage against her teachers. She will take no responsibility for her actions. She will be ruined. In the end she will destroy herself. Rescuing a victim is an act of love. Telling people they are victims is evil. Victimizing is demeaning, divisive and it gives power to the peddler of the lie.

Adam played the victim card when he said, "The woman you put here with me..." Notice how God did not even argue with him. God questioned the woman and then cursed them both. Christians must reject victimizing because Jesus instructs his followers to remove the plank of wood from their own eye. Victimizing is about blame, not repentance.

Throughout the history of Israel the ruthless and cruel people of Assyria, Babylon, Greece and Rome exiled, oppressed, and abused the Jews. Yet the prophets did not blame the oppressors, rather they placed the blame on Israel's sinfulness. Jesus and his apostles refused to be brought into the petty position of "let's blame the Romans for all of our issues." Jesus said, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's."

If anyone should've played the victim card it should've been Jesus. There was no blaming or shaming from the cross, rather, a selfless cry for forgiveness on the part of his oppressors.

3:The Number of Deity

The following is a list of Biblical references where God is associated with the number three:

1. Abraham is visited by three angels.
2. The Aaronic blessing is divided into three. Interestingly the priest would also give the Vulcan "live long and prosper" hand sign when delivering the blessing.
3. The Great Shema. While Judaism embraces this passage as they rightly preach the oneness of God, the threefold use of God's name is noteworthy. "Hear O Israel the Lord our God the Lord is one.
4. The tabernacle and the temple were divided into three.
5. The angelic choir sings: "Holy Holy Holy. Lord, God, Almighty." (Rev. 4:8, Is. 6:3)
6. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
7. God appeared to Israel on Mount Sinai during the third month after to days of preparation.
8. Jesus' ministry lasted three years and he rose on the third day.
9. The Christ was prophesied as prophet, priest and king.
10. Old Testament was divided into the Law, prophets, and writings.

The divinity of the ascended and exalted Christ leaps off the page in the book of Revelation. Divine attributes are consistently applied to Christ including various threefold descriptions. Consider a brief section in the first chapter of Revelation,

Revelation 1:4-5
Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. 

       who is, and who was and who is to come

       from him who is..., and from the seven spirits, and from Jesus Christ (Note the Trinity).

       faithful witness, firstborn from the dead, ruler of the kings of the earth

Revelation 1:5b-6
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priest to serve his God and Father - to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. 

     loves us....freed us...and made us

Revelation 1:8
I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.

     who is, and who was and who is to come,

     Alpha and...., who is..., the Almighty

This is but a sampling of threefold descriptions of the person of Christ in Revelation and throughout the rest of Scriptures.

Chiasm: God's Literary Highlighter

One of the most amazing literary devices in the Bible is the chiasmus or chiasm. Simply put, a chiasm is a way of structuring a verse, paragraph, or entire book in an a, b, b, a format. These devices are employed extensively throughout the Scriptures and seven part chiasms seem to be the most common (a, b, c, d, c, b, a). One of the more incredible chiasms in the Bible is the flood narrative. Old Testament scholar Gordon Wenham analyzed it and came up with the following:

A: Noah and his sons (Gen 6:10)

  B: All life on earth (6:13:a)

   C: Curse on earth (6:13:b)

    D: Flood announced (6:7)

     E: Ark (6:14-16)

      F: All living creatures (6:17–20 )

       G: Food (6:21)

       H: Animals in man’s hands (7:2–3)

        I: Entering the Ark (7:13–16)

         J: Waters increase (7:17–20)

          X: God remembers Noah (8:1)

        J: Waters decrease (8:13–14)

       I': Exiting the Ark (8:15–19)

      H': Animals (9:2,3)

     G': Food (9:3,4)

    F': All living creatures (9:10a)

   E': Ark (9:10b)

   D’:No flood in future (9:11)

  C': Blessing on earth (9:12–17)

 B': All life on earth (9:16)

A: Noah and his sons (9:18,19a)

Why are chiasms awesome? Here are a couple reasons:

1. Helps you find the main theme. Usually the most important part of a chiasm is the center. In the above verses the phrase "God remembered Noah" is the position of importance. Often when the Bible is taught or preached the context is neglected. Searching for chiasms will help teachers grasp and teach the Bible more effectively. 

2. Demonstrates the integrity of Scripture. Many people assume that the Bible has been corrupted or changed throughout centuries. If there is a detailed literary structure in the text then when cannot assume that it has been changed or corrupted over time.

3. Good riddance JEDP. The documentary hypothesis that prevailed during the 1800s can and ought to be placed within a coffin. These so-called "biblical scholars" assumed that the repetition with in certain Biblical narratives was due to multiple authorship. Nope, the repetition is due to a literary structure. 

4. Facilitates Memorization. Perhaps not sot so much for modern Western man but you can see how this structure helped the ancients memorize large sections of Scripture. If you can track these seven part outlines it would be easier to file scripture away into your mind. 

Here's another chiastic structure from the book of Daniel. Notice the theme that is highlighted in the center of the structure:

A. Daniel is exiled (Chapter 1)

     B. Vision of a statue representing four kingdoms (Chapter 2)

          C. Fiery Furnace (Chapter 3)

                  D. Nebuchadnezzar is removed (Chapter 4)

                  D. Belshazzar is removed (Chapter 5)

          C. Lion's Den (Chapter 6)

      B.  Vision of beasts representing four kingdoms (Chapter 7-9)

A. Vision of Exile (Chapter 10-12)

Apocalyptic Zodiac

Touring Israel, I was surprised to see ancient mosaic zodiacs on the floors of synagogues. Most of these mosaics were said to be dated a few centuries after Christ. One that caught my eye was a zodiac with Abraham replacing Helios in the center. With the exception of Maimonides, it seems that astrology was accepted by Talmudic and medieval Judaism.



Biblically, the stars are servants, not gods. The stars are secondary in the creation account as they are created on the fourth day to serve as signs. Astrology, or stargazing, is viewed by prophets such as Jeremiah (10:2-3) and Isaiah (47:13) as an unreliable way of gaining information. Sometimes Scripture records God using the sun, moon and stars in a miraculous way, such as the star of Bethlehem and the miracle of Hezekiah's cure and Joshua praying for the sun to stand still. For the Old Testament Jews and the New Testament Christian, whether or not there was anything to astrology was beside the point, it didn't matter, God ruled the universe. Our lives are written in God's book of life and not in the stars.

A fascinating vision in the book of Revelation may contain allusions to the zodiac an allusion that cements the Biblical view of the heavenly bodies. In Revelation chapter four the apostle John is taken in to heaven where he sees the throne room of God. Sitting upon a sea of crystal are four living creatures. The creatures are angelic being with wings. The have eyes everywhere. One creature looks like an ox, the other a lion, the other a man and the other an eagle. The angels worship God day and night.

The zodiac contains four creatures that may resemble these angels. These are the four "fixed" signs of the zodiac. Leo the lion sits opposite of Aquarius the man. Taurus the bull (or ox) sits opposite of Scorpio. Historically, it can be argued that Scorpio is also represented by the eagle or the phoenix. It then follows that the eyes are the stars of the constellation and the sea of glass is the firmament. The theological lesson is this: the heavens declare the glory of God. The stars are God's servants, they surround his throne and give him glory. This is a powerful message for those surrounded by paganism. God is above whatever forces a person think is at work above them and the stars along with the planets are not gods but servants of the one true God.

In Ezekiel's prophecy the cherubim are surround the throne of God  but have a slightly different appearance. Each creature has four faces, the faces include that of a man, bull, lion and eagle. The other two visions of God's throne room are in Daniel chapter seven and Isaiah chapter six. The angels are present in Isaiah chapter six minus the description. In Daniel chapter seven the throne of God is pictured with wheels, as it is in Ezekiel, but a river of fire flows from the throne of God. Some have interpreted the river of fire to be the milky way. Interestingly, the end of Revelation pictures the river of the water of life flowing from the throne of the lamb.

God compared Abraham's descendants to the stars. Later, Joseph receives a vision where the heavenly bodies represent his family. His brothers represent the stars and his father and mother represent the sun and the moon. In Revelation chapter twelve we see a vision of a woman clothed with the sun with the moon at her feet and a crown of twelve stars. This woman represents Israel as she gives birth to the Messiah. Many have tried to match Jacob's sons with the signs of the Zodiac. Below is an example.

Rueben                   "Turbulent as the waters."        Aquarius
Simeon                   "Brothers...violence."               Gemini
Levi                                                                          Libra
Judah                       "You are a lion..."                    Leo
Zebulon                   "Dwell at the shore..."             Pisces
Issachar                   "Donkey..."                              Bull
Dan                          "Viper..."                                 Scorpio
Gad                          "Raiders..."                             Sagittarius
Asher                       "Food..."                                 Virgo (stalk of grain)
Naphtali                                                                  Aries
Joseph                                                                     Cancer
Benjamin                  "Wolf"                                   Capricorn

While I see some theological richness in considering the constellation-like appearance in the angels of Revelation and Ezekiel, attaching the zodiac to the 12 tribes of Israel is a bit of a stretch. The number 12 is certainly used throughout Scripture to refer to people of God but the heavenly bodies are secondary. God chose to make his dwelling place with man and because of his love we will someday shine like stars (Daniel 12:3),